Petros VII

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Alternative Title:
Petros Papapetrou

Petros VII, (Petros Papapetrou), Greek Orthodox cleric (born Sept. 3, 1949, Sichari, British Cyprus—died Sept. 11, 2004, while flying over the Aegean Sea), viewed his position as the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Africa as an opportunity to strengthen and spread the message of Greek Orthodoxy throughout that continent and to promote Christian-Muslim dialogue. He arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 1970s to serve as a deacon to Patriarch Nicolaos VI. Returning to Athens, Petros studied to become a priest; after he was ordained in 1978, he returned to Egypt to serve as patriarchal vicar of Cairo. Two years later he was appointed vicar general of Johannesburg, S.Af. He later assumed posts in Ghana, Cameroon, and the archdiocese encompassing Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda before his appointment as patriarch of Alexandria and Africa in 1997.